Challenges and opportunities in transition to clean energy

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is facing several challenges hindering the transition to clean energy, including the absence of proper education and alternative energy sources and the high initial costs of clean energy solutions.

Other challenges are the shortage of raw materials and inadequate infrastructure to support implementation of the transition strategy.

Despite a strong desire to transition to cleaner energy, many households find it cheaper to continue using traditional methods, such as charcoal and firewood, passed down through generations.

These options are considered to be familiar and readily available in their surroundings.

The Tanzania Economic Situation Report 2022 shows that 81.6 percent of households depend on charcoal and firewood as a source of cooking energy, underscoring the urgency of addressing all barriers to cleaner energy.

A cross-section survey conducted by The Citizen’s sister newspaper, Mwananchi, between September 10 and 20, 2024, in the Coast, Tanga, Dar es Salaam, and Morogoro regions has unveiled major concerns.

Surveyed residents shared their insights as they struggle to adopt environmentally friendly cooking energy, emphasising the need for greater support and resources to facilitate a meaningful transition.

The shared insights reveal a preference for traditional fuels and a longing for viable solutions that empower communities to embrace sustainable cooking practices.

Costs are a major concern

A resident of the Madukani neighbourhood, Bagamoyo District, Coast Region, Ms Aisha Salum, says she has been using gas as a source of cooking energy for the last three years.

“The Sh25,000 refill price remains a challenge to the majority of citizens. Gas refill centres are located in urban areas, requiring residents to travel a long distance, increasing the cost to nearly Sh30,000 for an average gas cylinder,” she says. Ms Ilima Othuma echoed the sentiment, saying most users bought gas cylinders for as much as Sh55,000, saying the lack of refill and transportation funds remains a challenge to most citizens.

“The required amount is so huge that most users opt to remain charcoal and firewood users,” she states.

A resident of Morogoro Municipality, Ms Matha James, says, “I rarely use a gas stove, especially for light foodstuffs like tea, to make the gas last longer and avoid extremely high refill costs.”

However, a Bagamoyo resident, Mr Salmin Shahaban, raised issues of belief, stating that some people don’t believe in the possibility of preparing delicious food when using gas as the source of cooking energy.

He said mostly residents cook rice using charcoal instead of gas, emphasising that there is a significant difference even in the taste of the food.

“Some foods like beans and peas take longer to cook, making it uneconomical to prepare using gas,” he says, insisting on the challenges brought by costs and consumer preference.

He said success in this area would enable the community to abandon what they have been accustomed to for generations, observing that the transition was a process that required a significant amount of time. “Sh1,000 worth of charcoal can cook three meals, enabling people to spend Sh30,000 without fatigue, unlike gas cylinders that can constrain users,” he states.

A food vendor in Handeni District, Tanga Region, Ms Rehema Mkomwa, says, “Using gas for cooking in my business is uneconomical. A Sh23,000 gas cylinder lasts within two weeks, while charcoal worth that amount could take up to a month.”

A gas vendor at Shaurimoyo in Bagamoyo District, Ms Subira Abdallah, says citizens were ready to shift to clean energy, but the lack of empowerment remains a major challenge.

“The government and other clean energy stakeholders should provide citizens affordable gas cylinders and refill services. Taking refill stations close to rural dwellers will reduce travel distance for citizens to be covered by citizens to refill their cylinders,” she states.

Village governments

The Madukani neighbourhood in Bagamoyo District Chairperson, Ms Fatma Muhidin, says following the evident environmental impacts, she is a custodian of the government’s program against degradation.

“We have been organising meetings on efficient energy and encouraging residents to buy and use gas cylinders. However, income instability remains a transitioning challenge,” he says.

“Our people are financially illiterate. They can’t prepare their budget and efficiently implement, especially expenditures at trying times, sickness, food, and children’s education. Once citizens build the capacity to understand their budgets, then the energy transition will record significant achievement,” says Ms Muhidin.

She urged higher authorities to educate citizens on the importance of budgeting through different platforms, including training and workshops.

Shaurimoyo neighbourhood chairperson in Bagamoyo District, Ms Mwanaharusi Sultani, says high costs of gas utilisation have led to minimal uptake in her area of jurisdiction.

“Some users have abandoned gas utilisation due to higher refill costs, therefore reverting to using firewood and charcoal,” she says.

A gas businessman in Mzenga Village, Kisarawe District, Coast Region, Mr Alphonce Cleopa, says 80 percent of his clients are employees, underscoring that much has to be done in the public’s transition enthusiasm.

“The economy of Mzenga residents is too low to enable someone to spend over Sh50,000 for a gas cylinder,” he says, calling on the government to issue subsidies to lower prices.

He said the move will enable rural residents to access services at lower costs.

Long-term strategies

An environmental stakeholder and activist, Mr Clay Mwaifwani suggests that strategies to leave no one behind in the energy transition should be aligned with plans to increase citizens’ economies.

“The government must properly manage the country’s resources and evenly distribute its wealth among its people. Money is an important transition factor because it gives citizens transition options to gas or electricity,” he clarifies.

A geologist from the Ministry of Energy, Mr Ngereja Mgejwa, says in May 2024, the government launched a 10-year National Clean Energy Strategy focussing on 80 percent transitioning by 2034.

“We are currently implementing the strategy through awareness campaigns to increase citizens’ understanding of the types and options we have as a country,” he said. The government is giving lawmakers free-of-charge gas cylinders to be distributed to special groups in their constituencies as the country’s rural electrification enters the neighbourhoods.

“Transitioning to clean cooking energy is feasible. The government is building infrastructure close to residents to increase accessibility at affordable prices,” he says.

Regarding the costs, Mr Mgenjwa states that, apart from improving infrastructure, some residents will transition to gas utilisation, while others will opt for electricity or alternative charcoal.

Coast Regional Commissioner (RC) Abubakar Kunenge says the region has begun implementing the 10-Year Plan after installing a 10-tonne gas cylinder at the Ruvu Juu Secondary School.

Mr Kunenge says citizens are provided with gas cylinders, intensify the tree-planting campaign, and prevent tree-cutting for firewood and charcoal production. “Regarding clean energy, we have focused on education. We have also found that some citizens who have received gas cylinders face refill challenges when they run out of gas,” he said.

Handeni District Commissioner Albert Msando says the government has taken special measures to educate and encourage residents on the importance of clean cooking energy by reducing the issuance of permits for charcoal-producing applicants.

“We will continue to reduce the issuance of permits and eventually eliminate permit issuance,” says Mr Msando.

Written by Tuzo Mapunda-Coast; Rajabu Athumani-Tanga and Hamida Sharifu-Morogoro). Any comment on this story supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation should be shared via WhatsApp: 0765864917.